Stepping on Sunlight
by The Eternal Scribe
Summary: Between trying not to beat the everliving shit out of the girls who insisted on picking on his friend and making all the students in their school think he was in on an evil plot with Ichigo to take over the town. Tatsuo really would have preferred the choice of where he was reborn. Pity no one seemed to give a damn. Self Insert OC. Paring up for debate. Eventual slash
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** My sister has been talking about Bleach and got me into it again. It's all her fault I'm writing this, though the picture plays a big part too.

 **Warnings:** Eventual slash, violence, self-insert OC, gender-bent character, some AU.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

Sometimes when he was bored, he'd stare at the sky and wonder about the world.

This wasn't one of those times.

Rebirth was one of those things he knew about, but wasn't really a firm believer of. He knew it was entirely possible, just like heaven and hell was, but there wasn't any firm truth. Of course he didn't say this out-loud since most people _did_ believe in at least one of those things, he'd rather not disrespect them with his odd way of thinking. People could believe in what they wanted, it wasn't like it affected him badly or anything.

 _Before_ he had been a fighter, one who dreamed of protecting his country and loved his family immensely. More times then not his loyalty to those he cherished got him into fights, even though he hated unnecessary violence. His sister was one of the few people he liked enough to go to those lengths of hurting another person like that, but she was family and no one messed with his. He wasn't the best fighter, but he made sure to land a few hits and make sure everyone knew _why_ it wasn't okay to mess with his sibling.

His mother was always furious when the principle called, ranting about how he was ruining his school history and possibly his future by acting like a delinquent.

Honestly in situations like that he couldn't find it in himself to feel completely guilty.

Besides the fighting he was a peaceful person, more times then not he'd seclude himself from the rest of his classmates to read a book or write. Violence didn't come naturally to him, but independence did. While others chatted happily with their friends and talked about sports he was writing some fantasy about two men getting together or reading a Manga about it. Romance was cliche to him, which was one of the reasons Yaoi spoke out to him so much. The good ones were unique, full of action and not endlessly swamped by corny pick-up lines and obsessive girls. He didn't fault those who liked Shojo though, there were a good few that he had read and actually enjoyed.

He eventually ended up joining the Navy when he realized College wasn't for him. High School had been just barley survivable, he couldn't imagine going through more school. He was just smart enough to pass the test and eventually found himself hugging his mother goodbye as he walked into the airport to fly to bootcamp.

Exercise always came easy to him, unlike math and science or really anything to do with using his brain far too much. While he wasn't in the best of shape he found herself enjoying running laps and trying to achieve pushups, it gave him something to do since they made him leave all his belongings back at home. Listening to orders was easy, though the sarcasm threatened to make it's appearance he had watched enough military shows to know it wasn't a good idea to smart mouth the adults.

It was there he made his first, longtime, friend. A girl named Sasha with a contagious laugh but short temper.

Three years later Sasha died in a car accident, and that's when he first felt the aching emptiness of loss.

He never did get married, relationships were awkward to him and more times then not he found himself scrunching his nose up at the thought of one. His mother said it was because he hadn't found his Sunshine yet, he just thought it was because all the Manga and Anime made it ridiculously hard to find any human man nice enough, and attractive enough, to be dating material. That and he was naturally a loner, any person he did get together with would have had to understand that sometimes he just needed space.

His sister married a nice man three years after Sasha died, just like her name the wedding was so amusingly covered in red decorations that it was more of a red wedding then a white one. One year later a baby girl was born, and he was introduced to his niece, an alien looking being that cried a heck of a lot.

At age 26 he died.

It hadn't been a big deal honestly, he hoped someone had put out the flames soon enough that his garden wasn't destroyed, but he learned his lesson. _Gas stoves are your enemy._

Besides the ear shattering explosion, he didn't really notice he died for a while. It was more of a nagging thought then a 'holy shit I'm dead' moment. He realized it eventually as he slept in a warm encompassing space-pocket thing. Or where ever the heck he was, it was warm. He couldn't find it in himself to freak out though, people died and he wasn't any different. He already missed his mother and sister though, being family oriented made one rather lonely when they were left floating who-knows-where.

Minutes, hours, days, years. He had no means of knowing how long he floated, most of the time spent in the warmth was spent sleeping and dreaming of sunshine. Sometimes he'd hear a warm voice, muffled like he was underwater, but obviously gentle.

The rare times he'd awaken from his slumber was because of some sort of electrical-type of energy that would shock him. It came in random spurts, and while it didn't hurt the feeling was increasing and trying his patience. He could never figure out why it happened, or if it had some sort of pattern so he could at least expect it. The electricity just happened, sometimes it would feel like days until he felt it again and then sometimes just seconds.

He was a patient person, but the electricity obviously was egging him on or just liked to torment him.

Besides the pest, he slept peacefully, that is until he didn't.

It happened in short bursts, a distinct sense of falling made his heart violently leap and eyes snap open. Then large hands dragged him into a freezing world of blinding lights as voices murmured and the sound of a woman panting reached his ears. There was confusion and terror as he stared up at the blurred images of what looked like some sort of giant, the language familiar though he couldn't quite recall it. A hand slapped his bottom unexpectedly and he yelped, a high pitched noise that didn't sound right in his ears.

 _"It's a boy Arisawa-san, congratulations."_ A giant murmured.

A male answered him. _"Did you hear that Hinata? We have a healthy baby boy."_

 _"I'm so happy."_ A soft feminine voice replied, sounding tired.

He struggled blindly, reaching for anything to hold onto as he was carried effortlessly. _Something was wrong, he had died. Why was he breathing again?_ He couldn't understand anything that was being said, obviously these people were foreigners, or maybe he was the the odd one out.

Theories ran through his head, mixed with the chaos that rolled within it as he tried to regain his bearings. The very air made his skin tingle unpleasantly, like there was some sort of electrical charge, it was eerily familiar to the one that annoyed him in the darkness except this one was constant. He could almost hear the humming as it passed through the air, though the giants showed no signs of noticing anything wrong, he knew he wasn't imagining it. _"_

 _"Here you go Arisawa-san."_ The giant holding him started to lower his body down and slim hands grabbed him gently.

He moved in an attempt to get away, but stilled for a moment as the scent of daffodils wafted into his nose. The woman brought him closer and held him to her chest affectionately. He could sense a gentleness from her, it was familiar like a mothers, one he had felt before when he was floating in the darkness.

 _"I'm so happy to finally meet you Tatsou, I've been waiting so long."_ He stared up at her as the sudden realization that he had just been conscious while being born came to light. It didn't take a genius to realize what had just happened.

He had just been reborn.

* * *

Frowning down at the man who was holding him up toward the sky, the newly named Tatsuo pondered his situation. Being reborn was just as boring as one would think it would be, no matter how impossible it seemed the fact that he was an adult in a child's body was very obvious. There were unanswered questions that lingered in his mind, such as _why_ he had been reborn, and why the memories of his past life were still accessible. In all accounts they should be gone, it was only fair to the rest of the citizens of whatever town he lived in.

Besides who would want to be stuck in an infants body? It had been three months and he was going stir crazy. He wasn't much of an active person, but being in the Navy for seven years made it hard to do _nothing._ The boredom that he had to deal with was only slightly alleviated when his parents would come and talk to him and he'd try to make sense of what they were saying. Japanese was familiar to him, but he only could recognize the common words from the Animes he watched like 'cute' and 'no'.

At first his days had been full of sleeping, eating, and being changed so time passed by rather quickly. Then his body started to mature and he didn't need to sleep so often, which meant he had to count the dots on the ceiling for hours, or make some sort of noise to make his parents come. Both weren't preferred, he'd much rather just read a book or something.

 _"What's up with that serious face little man?"_ His father asked in his deep baritone. _"You look so old."_

Tatsuo stared, he was pretty sure his father was teasing him but otherwise really didn't know what he was saying. Not that it mattered since he wouldn't care anyway, but it would be nice to know what he was saying. Unfortunately until he was very certain he knew the language perfectly he didn't want to try and speak it since his parents would be curious as to _why_ their child had an accent.

The older man chuckled. _"I suppose it's kind of cute, especially when your nose scrunches up like that."_

Tatsuo glanced around his room taking in the nice painting on the walls, someone had obviously spent a lot of time drawing an endless sky of clouds. His favorite part was the black dragon flying just above his cradle, it was about as long as the wall and encompassed half of it height wise, he could see every single scale that covered its body. Whoever had painted it obviously loved doing it.

 _"It's amazing isn't it? Your mother painted it when she was pregnant with you."_ His father commented glancing at the dragon as well. _"She loves dragons, which was why she decided to name you Tatsuo, you're her little dragon."_

Tatsuo turned his attention toward his father when he heard his name and received a bright grin. The tall man was rather attractive he supposed, with a dark, but not too big, beard and dark blue eyes. He had a lot of muscle too, which was rather impressive since he was obviously well trained.

 _"I can already see that you're going to take after me when you're older."_ He winked playfully. _"But you got your face from your mother, don't worry though people will underestimate you and that will give you an advantage when your fighting."_

 _"Isamu."_

We both looked toward the door when a firm voice called out to his father, standing with her hands on her hips was his mother with a dark eyebrow raised. _"You're not possibly thinking about training our son_ already _are you? He's only three months old."_

Isamu winced and turned toward her and he was brought down to rest on a wide waist as his father grinned sheepishly. _"No..."_

Hinata's lips twitched and she walked forward. _"Good."_

Isamu allowed her to take him in her arms and he was instantly wrapped in a soft hug. _"Hello little dragon."_ She cooed touching me lightly on the nose. _"How are you?"_

He really wished he knew what in the world she was saying. It was infuriating to be so clueless.

 _"I think he may be_ _hungry."_ Her hand reached up to the collar of her shirt and Testuo felt himself start to pale.

He knew that gesture all too well.

Breastfeeding was okay in his books, but did _he_ want to experience it? Not really, especially when the Milk tasted really odd. He knew it was full of vitamins for his body and such, but that didn't mean he was too keen to have it anywhere near his mouth.

He really had no choice though, not unless he wanted to drink formula which he was sure didn't taste any better then breast milk.

* * *

He went by instinct when it came to when he should learn certain things. Though he wasn't able to really know how many months had passed, he could feel his limbs becoming stronger and eventually decided to sit up and then learn to crawl. After spending what felt like forever in a crib actually moving his legs _and_ moving felt like a gift from heaven. Tatsuo didn't remember enough of his childhood in the past to recall what it felt like to not be able to walk, so the fact that he couldn't didn't feel right. Thankfully though, he was able to learn eventually though he made sure to seem like he was having problems staying upright the first few times he stood.

He didn't want to be seen as a genius anytime soon, that would bring attention onto me that he didn't want. Tatsuo hated being in front of crowds and having people expect him to act a certain way, which meant he needed to lay low. Besides he wasn't a genius, not really, he just remembered facts from his past life. In no way did he expect to be a straight A student since he certainly wasn't the first time around, sure he wouldn be able to learn things again which might mean he could catch on quicker but he hadn't changed when it came to sucking at math or science. They would forever be his nemesis, there was no question about that.

Learning Japanese took a while, but around ten months old he was sure enough about his capability that he started to speak words in front of his parents. They were delighted, which was amusing to watch, but it wasn't too much fun when Isamu picked him up and spun him around.

With learning came actually understanding people when they spoke, which lead to him recognizing words.

Ones such as _Karakura town_ , _Kurosaki Clinic_ and _Karakura High School._

At first he had thought he was imagining things, but the logical side of him instantly connect the odd electricity in the air as Reiatsu and that just made everything make sense. He was probably sensitive to it because he had been reborn. Not that he knew that for certain but he was pretty sure it was what had been insistently pestering him.

If, by chance, he was in Bleach, then that really sucked. Bleach was full of sword fighting and town destroying attacks, he'd be lucky to survive past High School. Though he knew how to defend himself thanks to the Navy, the closest he had gotten to a sword was in Color Guard and he was pretty sure there was more to using one then just throwing it around. Then again Ichigo wasn't really pre-trained in sword fighting and he seemed to be okay.

But Ichigo was the main character which basically promised success in those sorts of things, Tatsuo not so much.

That was if he even had enough power to make a Zanpakuto, he wasn't even sure if he could do that much. But that was the only way he'd be able to fight if need be, and he really wasn't into playing damsel in distress. Then again if he'd have to talk a Shingami into stabbing a sword through his chest so he was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. As far as he was aware his parents seemed normal, which probably meant there was a good chance he was normal as well.

It was all for the better he supposed since Violence really wasn't his forte. Though the idea of fighting as a Shingami sounded fun in reality it was very dangerous. He really shouldn't want to be one, since he'd have to die to even have a chance to become one.

But what was the reason he was here? Obviously he wouldn't go changing everything, that would just be rude. Was it by chance he was reincarnated here? Or did someone mean to?

Whatever the reason he was stuck here, he just hoped he wouldn't die immediately.

...

...

Didn't Ichigo have a friend with the last name Arisawa? Yeah he was pretty sure that there was a girl, the one who protected Orihime actually.

Wasn't his parents last names Arisawa?

Wait did this mean he had somehow became that girl- well the gender-bent version of her? He was pretty sure she wasn't too big of a character but a character nonetheless.

Well...this made things interesting.

* * *

 **AN:** The image for this story was what gave me inspiration to write this. ^^ I hope everyone liked the first chapter, sorry for any mistakes.

Also correct me if I'm wrong but are these definitions right? I get constantly confused between the three of them.

 **Reishi-** What all souls are made of, and what Qunicy use to create spirit weapons.

 **Reiryoku-** A Shinigami's spiritual power they posses, humans with high quantities of it can see ghosts and the such.

 **Reiatsu-** Reiryoku in it's spiritual form, used for attacks and subjugating weaker enemies. (This is what other Shigami can sense? Or can they sense Reiryoku too since they're basically the same thing?)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

"How _adorable!"_

"He's a darling!"

"Aww what a cutie!"

He was pretty sure dying right now would be an act of mercy. Woman were around him, dressed in bright colors and strong smelling perfume _shrieking_ and cooing about how utterly irresistible he was.

It was torture.

Beside him Hinata joked with a random woman, not at all bothered by the fact that he was getting ambushed by make-up wearing harpies. He didn't even know _why_ they were making such a fuss, sure he was _slightly_ feminine looking but that didn't mean he was some sort of rare jewel. There were plenty of children out in the world much more pretty, cute, and adorable then he was.

In fact a child was just passing them now but no one was paying _her_ any attention, she even had orange hair.

Wait orange hair?

Tatsuo tried to look around the horde of women to catch another glimpse of the girl, he was pretty sure that he had seen a Mini-Orihime but thanks to the crowd around him he wasn't sure.

"What beautiful eyes!"

"You're right, he must have some foreigner blood in him to have those pretty blue eyes."

This was it, he was going to die via excited women, so much for another chance.

* * *

Every part of his body was _sore._

Breath coming out in harsh pants Tatsuo forced his body to say upright as sweat dripped down his fore-head. The white Karate uniform he had admired earlier felt like a thick coat draped over him, making his body even hotter than it was currently.

"Stop thinking so much," His father instructed, barely even ruffled. "Just allow your instincts to guide you."

 _So says the man with a body already used to hours of training_ , Tatsuo was pretty sure he hadn't felt so drained since bootcamp, and then he'd been partially in shape so it hadn't been so bad. Presently his young body was unused to the exercise Isamu was putting him through, or really any strenuous exercise really.

It had been about three months since he'd turned four, and three weeks since Isamu decided that it was time he started to train. When Tatsuo had accepted his father's offer he hadn't imagined his body to be so _fragile_. In the past his body had been sturdier and was able to take more damage while his current one was almost...delicate?

He supposed that his past body wouldn't come with him when he died, but it still was irritating to have such a different body type.

"Sorry." He replied and wiped off the sweat from his brow. Though his limbs screamed at him to sit down and rest, he forced himself to stay standing.

Isamu chuckled and ruffled his sweaty hair. "Besides overthinking, you have potential squirt, someday you might even be as strong as me."

Tatsuo allowed his lips to tilt upward slightly. "By then you'll be an old man."

"Hey!"

Though the memories of his past life made it hard for him to connect to his birth parents completely he still felt affection for them. To him they were like old family friends he had known since he was born. Despite that though he made sure to show enough affection to them that they weren't wondering why their son was acting so standoffish. But just as he made sure to do that Tatsuo was putting a small distance between himself and his birth parents.

He didn't take well to coddling since he was mentally an independent adult so their parenting was a little irking at times.

After his father calmed down they started training again. It wasn't anything too complicated, mostly his father sent him running around the Dojo or instructed him to preform squats and try a few push-ups. Later on when his body was more mature the training would intensify and he'd actually learn how to defend himself.

Which would be the exciting part for him since he'd always admired those who could take someone down with a few effortless movements.

Practice went on for about another hour before they finally stopped, by that time Hinata had made lunch for them and he ate it with an enthusiasm uncharacteristic of him. Within moments he had Isamu had finished the sandwiches placed in front of them as if they hadn't eaten in days much to her amusement.

Hinata laughed. "Did you two have a fun time today?"

Isamu grinned and Tatsuo felt a large hand pat his head roughly. "We had a blast! Anyone who tries to go against him is going to be immensely surprised, especially since he looks so girly."

His eyebrow twitched in response to his father's words, though he knew the older man was really just teasing him it never failed to get some sort of response out of him. Being girly wasn't terrible, but at the same time he was pretty sure he'd react negatively if someone besides his father or mother referred to him as feminine.

"What do you mean by that _honey?_ " Suddenly Hinata's smile wasn't so warm, her dark eyes stared at her husband without blinking.

Instantly Isamu straightened out as if he were in the presence of a being far more dangerous then a woman who cooed at pictures of kittens. "Nothing at all!" He laughed nervously. "He just inherited your gorgeous face dear, and that isn't a bad thing at all!"

Hinata eyed him suspiciously. "Is that so? There isn't a problem if he looks slightly more feminine then most boys then?"

"No no! He can use it to his advantage in a fight!"

She stared at him with slightly narrowed eyes for a moment longer making Isamu squirm in his seat. "I see!" The aura of a gentle, caring mother was back once again. "He is rather handsome isn't he?"

The dark-haired man visibly relaxed in his seat. "Certainly!"

Tatsuo glanced back and forth between his two parents making sure to note the fact that his mother could be _terrifying_ when she wanted.

* * *

Hinata smiled as she watched her son and husband practice. At first she had been worried that they were training Tatsuo too young, but her husband had been right, the young boy would be fine. Despite the fact that Tatsuo had inherited her face along with her body he was strong-willed and determined to learn everything his father had to teach him.

 _Defend those that cannot do it themselves._ The Arisawa were a family who had fought to defend the small town of Karakura for generations. Each child was taught to fight no matter the gender at whatever age they thought they were ready.

The citizens saw them as guardians but were hesitant to go up and actually talk to them because they were wary of their power, not that the Arisawa used their power for evil. In fact each generation had lived up to their name and protected the city with a fierce loyalty. It was just sometimes people feared those stronger then them that made everyone avoid her husband's family.

Sadly that meant her son was going to have a hard time making friends, but she hoped he'd make at least one.

A booming laugh made her break out of her thoughts and look toward her son and husband spotting Tatsuo laying face-up on the floor.

Instantly she was up on her feet and walking toward the small boy. "What happened? Are you okay sweetie?"

Tatsuo blinked up at her and got up rubbing his head. "I think so."

"He'll be fine," Isamu chuckled as he crouched down to ruffle the small boy's head. "you're a tough one aren't you little dragon?"

Hinata smiled and shook her head, sometimes she couldn't understand how boys could be so resilient. Growing up she never rough-housed too much and had been confused when she saw boys messing around with each other carelessly and laughing when they got hurt. She had always been a little more delicate then a lot of girls so she tried to avoid anything too rough, which was why her mother found it so funny that she married such a active man.

She had thought that since Tatsuo looked so much like his father, with his dark blue eyes and dark hair, he'd be just like him. But instead it was the opposite, even though her son inherited Isamu's coloring his face was a near replica of hers. With slightly almond shaped eyes, a soft jawline and pale skin she knew that young kids were going to have a hard time telling his gender. When he got older he'd grow into himself and become a good looking man, but at the moment he really looked like a little girl.

Hinata personally thought it was adorable.

After a few more moments Tatsuo got up. "Let's try it again."

Isamu grinned proudly in response.

Her husband was right when he said their son had potential, though Isamu tended to overthink his movements and take to long to react he had good instincts.

Her son had always been more mature then normal children which had worried her at first but now she was completely fine with it. If anything it made her and Isamu's life easier since a normal baby who cried and ran around would make it harder for them to stay sane. She had heard some horror stories from her friends, ones of being woken up every three hours for weeks and having to deal with temper tantrums.

She nearly shuddered at the mere thought.

That was where her son's unusual maturity was appreciated, though some part of her wanted to have a child to coddle and snuggle another part was okay with having an independent son. Because when he got older and eventually moved out of the house she'd be able to not worry about how he would fair, he'd be fine.

Well maybe not perfectly fine since she was pretty sure kids _would_ mistake Tatsuo for a female, but by then he'd know how to defend himself.

If he didn't, well she wasn't completely helpless.

* * *

Karakura park was rather packed this time, far too crowded for him to even feel comfortable trying to amuse himself with the play-set like a normal child.

Children laughed, screamed and ran around like maniacs _everywhere_ while their parents chatted on benches further away. Instead of charging off to slide or swing Tatsuo settled with sitting beside his mother who was reading a book in a shady spot, she didn't try to talk him into going to play since she already was used to the way he acted.

He _did_ try to act like a semi-normal child, but he could only do so much.

Crowds of children who were still naive and liked to play imaginary was a step too far for him, there was no one for him to intellectually connect with and too many people made him feel comfortable.

Tatsuo continued to survey the play ground in front of him, sometimes following a child do something particularly amusing before switching to another. As far as he could tell no one looked familiar to him, which wasn't too surprising. It'd be rather suspicious if he bumped into someone like Ichigo since Aizen was pretty good at deciding peoples fates for his own amusement.

As if cursing himself he noticed a shock of orange hair, making his heart skip a beat, and his gaze immediately focus on the small child.

A boy roughly around his age was standing with a woman who had the same odd color of hair, his brows furrowed as he looked at the playground in what looked like apprehension.

 _No way._

"Tatsuo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied turning to look at his mother and forcing his body to relax.

There really wasn't anything he should be freaking out about since he _was_ a character in the anime, in a way at least. Even though Tatsuki was a female he was basically a gender-bent version of her so there wasn't anything wrong with befriending the characters.

But at the same time he wasn't going to push anything, he and Tatsuki were different people so there was no promise that he'd become buddies with Ichigo like she did. Nor would he go out of his way to talk to the orange-haired boy especially since he really preferred to keep to himself.

Ichigo was making his body feel electrified, like the Reiatsu did when he happened to pass through it. Even at such a young age the small boy made his skin tingle which didn't bode well for him really. Because if Ichigo made him feel like this when he wasn't even a Shinigami he couldn't imagine how his body would react to Ichigo when he started using Reiatsu or heaven forbid when he turned into a hollow. In fact Tatsuo didn't want to know how he reacted to Shinigami period.

The rest of the time he silently watched Ichigo eventually wander away from Misaki and climb onto the play-set, the child didn't make any real effort to talk to anyone and seemed to be perfectly fine with amusing himself. There were times that Tatsuo swore the boy looked his direction but that could have been his imagination since there wasn't any real reason why that would happen.

Well Ichigo could have noticed his staring and be wondering why the hell some strange kid was watching him like a creeper.

Yeah, that was probably it.

* * *

School...he had to go through school _again._

Like a good few students he hated going to school, waking up early to the blaring alarm clock was the bane of his existence. He _hated_ alarm clocks. Or really anything that dared wake him up before he was ready.

But if he wanted to stay low and be seen as normal he couldn't suddenly decide to be a genius, not even if he tended to imagine himself skipping a few grades just for sanities sake. He'd have to force himself to deal with immature children and 'learning' how to count.

He supposed he would be a better student then he was before since he already knew most of the stuff the teachers would go over. But there was no way he'd remember everything so he supposed it wouldn't be too horrible to go over things again.

Unlike America schools in Japan started in April and lasted until mid July where they'd have a small break until September and then end that term around December 25.

He wasn't too bothered that school ended the day of christmas since he had long since chilled out about that particular holiday once he moved out of his parents house and started to live on his own.

The grades in Japan were pretty similar to America, Elementary school lasted for six years and then Middle School for three as well as High School for the same amount.

There were differences such as the requirement to wear the sailor uniforms, which looked ridiculous on him, but his mother _loved_ it on him. She even took a picture which he was sure to hate for all eternity.

Isamu started to work more often at their Dojo once Tatsuo was signed up for Kindergarten and his mother even continued her little painting company she had put on hold once he was born. Though neither job gave them too much money, his family had enough to live in a comfy house with two rooms right next to the Dojo where his father taught Karate.

The rising feeling of doom rose up in him as the time to start school came closer until his first day of school finally came upon him like a death sentence.

He found himself standing at the gates to the Kindergarten school he was going to be attending, parents and their children murmured in the background as they said goodbye. A couple kids were even crying as their mother or father started to walk away which made him wince as the loud screams echoed across the courtyard.

Thankfully he'd only have to go to this school for a year and then he'd start first grade in a completely different building.

"Try not to terrify the children too much little dragon," Hinata said as she crouched down to look him in the eyes. "a smile wouldn't hurt."

Tatsuo rose a brow at her.

She smiled knowingly and wrapped him in a hug. "I know, just try okay?"

He nodded but didn't try to promise anything, despite being seen as 'pretty' people tended to be put off by the seriousness of his usual expression once they realized he wasn't as smiley as he looked. That and his families history would make it hard for him to make any friends, not that he minded.

Hinata let him go and wiped her eyes. "I'm so proud of you little dragon, make sure to have fun at school and make lots of friends."

Tatsuo nodded awkwardly not quite sure how he was supposed to comfort her. "I'll do my best."

His mother smiled and stood up with a sniff. "That's all I ask for."

He waved goodbye to her as she walked away and then headed toward the building passing all the children clinging to their parents and trying to mute out the crying.

He wandered into the building and down the hall as he searched for his classroom, the school was small as one would expect a Kindergarten to be with about four rooms he could spot and a min-playground.

Eventually he found the room, 1-B and walked inside silently. There were bright colors _everywhere_ and posters of positive quotes covering the walls. A few small tables decorated the floor on top of a green carpet and a couple bookcases with children's books leaned against a wall in the back.

A few children were already inside and grouped up giggling to themselves loudly while a kind looking woman watched over them behind a desk.

She smiled at him when he walked in. "Hello, what's your name?"

"Arisawa Tatsuo." He replied eyeing her for a moment before turning to observe the room once again.

The teacher looked slightly taken aback but didn't say anything so he just headed further into the room.

He found a seat further in the back that gave him a view of all of the students and was close to the window in case he needed to make a quick getaway. Of course it was only a Kindergarten class and there was little chance something dangerous would happen, he could never be too sure that there was _no_ chance.

After a few more moments children started to meander into his classroom, he watched them out of the corner of his eye to see if any characters in the Anime would happen to be in his class as well. It wouldn't be unsurprising since they were all his age and there were only a few rooms in the building.

He nearly fell out of his chair when a orange-haired boy came into his view but managed to balance himself before that happened.

 _Of course the universe hated him that much._

A few kids shot him odd looks as they noticed him but he paid no attention and forced himself to look away from the small boy to stare at the wall. Who would have known out of all the characters the main one would happen to be in his class?

But this didn't mean anything, it was a small school so it was probably only a coincidence.

More then a couple children looked like they wanted to sit next to him but when he turned his gaze toward their direction they actually went away. It wasn't that he was trying to seem dangerous or anything so he had no idea _why_ they acted that way.

Maybe they were afraid of his family or something?

Electricity sparked across his skin when an orange-haired boy sat at the same table he had settled in making him nearly jump in surprise. Tatsuo couldn't help but stare for a moment, Ichigo was the first character he had actually seen up close and he couldn't help himself. He had hardly expected the boy to sit next to him.

Ichigo turned his head and rose a brow. "What?"

Tatsuo blinked and then nearly hit himself when he realized he had been staring at Ichigo for longer then he had intended. "Nothing." He looked to the side and stared at the wall again.

Well this was awkward.

Once everyone had settled and found a seat the teacher stood up. "Hello everyone, my name is Takashi-sensei and welcome to Kindergarten!"

He tuned the teacher out as she continued to talk very aware of the small boy beside him and started to go off into his own world as he usually did when in school.

"Hey."

Tatsuo broke out of his daydreaming and turned toward Ichigo who had a very serious expression on his face.

"You're the Dojo guy's kid, right?"

Partially surprised that the orange-haired boy didn't say anything about his looks, he nodded in reply.

"That's what I thought, you know that half of the town thinks you're a girl right?"

Tatsuo felt his eyebrow twitch. "No."

Ichigo squinted his eyes and gave him a searching look. "I don't know why everyone thinks you're a girl, you look like a guy to me."

He had a feeling that he and Ichigo would get along fantastically.

..

..

…

The school day was uneventful, between Ichigo making his skin electrify, learning to add and singing songs that got stuck in his head he had been very bored. Of course it was a lot easier then High School but at the same time he wished that he was in a more advanced class.

"Hey!"

Oh and for some reason Ichigo had decided to take a liking to him.

Tatsuo turned when he heard the familiar voice, spotting Ichigo running to catch up with him.

"Yes?"

"I never asked what your name." The small boy replied, brown eyes curious. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, what's yours?"

Tatsuo eyed him for a moment trying not to wince when his skin started to tingle again. "Arisawa Tatsuo."

Ichigo scowled for a moment. "That's a mouthful, I think I'm just going to call you Tsu."

Completely taken aback he couldn't find anything to say about the decision, he knew that Ichigo was someone who didn't refer to someone formally unless he respected them so he wasn't too bothered.

As for the nickname…well he didn't really have a choice.

Tatsuo shrugged. "Okay."

He turned to face where the parents where meeting their children and started to scan them for any signs of his mother or father.

"You don't talk very much do you?"

"Not really." He replied looking at the young boy out of the corner of his eye. Ichigo wasn't known for being a social butterfly so he had to wonder why he was so insistent on talking to him.

Ichigo shrugged. "That's fine, people who talk too much are really annoying anyways."

Tatsuo nodded in agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence as they searched for their parents.

Hinata appeared a few minutes later and smiled proudly when she noticed him. "Did you have a good day Little Dragon?" She asked as she reached the place he was standing.

Tatsuo shrugged. "It was okay."

She laughed and turned to look at Ichigo with curiosity shining in her eyes. "You must be Isshin's kid Kurosaki Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo nodded. "How did you know?"

"My husband tends to get himself hurt a lot thanks to his hobby." Hinata replied. "Your father has fixed him up more than a few times."

Tatsuo noticed she was reaching down to pick him up and allowed her to do so, only for the older woman to yelp in shock and take her hands away. He stared at her in surprise feeling his skin tingle for a moment before it receded.

"Are you okay?" He asked staring at her with furrowed brows trying to figure out why the Reiastu sparking his skin had effected her as well.

She nodded and sent him a small smile. "Yes I was just shocked that's all."

Reassured he looked toward Ichigo who was staring at him with narrowed eyes as if trying to examine him. Tatsuo rose a brow at that and wondered if the other boy knew what had just happened.

He was just sensitive to Reiatsu, right? He couldn't see ghosts or anything like that so he didn't think that he had suddenly become like Ichigo. Why did that happen though?

We waved goodbye to Ichigo as he and Hinata headed home theories running through his head in a jumbled mess.

* * *

 **AN:** I'm glad that so many people are liking this story and I hope you like this chapter as well. ^^ Sorry for any mistakes.


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